Earthbenders
Or, As close to a fanfic as I will probably ever get Disclaimer: I am aware that there are several Eclipses floating around. I am one of them. However, the Eclipse mentioned here is a name I came up with a few years go, and her character is not based off of any of the Eclipses I have met since. General ---- Earthbenders are not actually a tribe, for two reasons: they are too diverse, and there are not enough of them. In fact, an Earthbender can be from any tribe, of any age, at any point in history- the only dragons that can't be earthbenders are animuses themselves. An Earthbender is defined as any dragon who has had an animus place a spell directly upon them. Before Darkstalker, most Earthbenders were made as a result of an animus' pursuit of the "perfect" dragon. Because different dragons have different ideas, Earthbenders vary greatly in appearance and skill. However, because of the sheer amount of spells required to make a dragon like that, Earthbenders were mainly created by animuses who were mad or had no fear of going mad, which numbered greatly in the minority. Also, most animuses either prevented their Earthbenders from having dragonets, or did not alter their spells, so the traits in the Earthbenders did not pass on to later generations. Additionally, very few dragons like to admit that they were "tampered with", and so hid their Earthbenders identities from other dragons and from history. In fact, the best documented Earthbenders in history were a brother and sister (The Pair), key in The Scorching, whose names have been lost to history, as they were identified in scrolls only as "Silver" and "Gold". Tales from The Scorching tell of them demonstrating supernatural strength and ability. Up until recently, historians had dismissed these as embellishments; the idea of Earthbenders only entered the public consciousness recently, sparked by Darkstalker's Nightwings causing dragons to wonder what would happen if an animus went farther. Note: the term "Earthbender" comes from the writings of Storm, a dragon from the time of the Scorching, who, when describing The Pair, wrote "... and where Gold walked, the very Earth bent under her talons." Eclipse & Starfire ---- The was once a secret animus named Octopus. He had read the stories of Albatross and his madness, and came to the conclusion that all animuses were, at some point, evil, and did not deserve to live, including himself. Thus, he fled the kingdom, stole two eggs, and found a forest glen near a lake. This place he cast a spell over to ensure that none but himself and the dragonets inside the eggs could find it. Then, he got to work making his perfect dragons: the Animus Slayers. Eclipse is a sleek, black dragon. She has slightly serated claws and her tail, although it doesn't look it, narrows until its end is perfect for stabbing. Her scales are harder than most dragons, and are resistant to extreme temperatures. She is abnormally, though not astoundingly, strong; Octopus wanted to ensure his creations could fit in with normal dragons, the better to hunt down animuses. Eclipse has been trained to fight by Octopus in many environments, and was even taken, on occasion, to observe battles or fights between other dragons, though Octopus was rather paranoid and despised crowds. As a result, Eclipse is physically perfect for killing dragons. Starfire is the other side of the coin. While he is capable, physically, his real prowess is his mind. He absorbs information like a sponge, and never forgets what he has learned. Almost as quick to make connections as Qibli, he has an extensive knowledge of plants, particularly poisons, as well as detailed maps of Pyrrhia. While Eclipse is not dumb, Starfire is the chief strategist. Both dragonet benefit from heightened senses and night vision. They know each other incredibly well, to the point where they can "see" what the other is doing, like a bond between twins. Perhaps the most important of all their abilities are these: 1) neither dragon can be affected by animus magic, other than that of Octopus 2) both can tell upon meeting/seeing a dragon whether they are an animus, and 3) the same force that protects them from animus magic can also be expanded to up to a 20-foot radius around them, though it requires considerable effort and is not sustainable Marionette Nile was a SandWing around the year 2300. Although clever and resourceful, she was only about 3 years old, and her mother was in jail for theft. Although her father tried to make a living selling toys and dolls, there weren't many dragons willing to buy from the mate of a criminal. One day, desperate, her father attempted to slip some fruit of a cart while a vendor's attention was elsewhere, but failed, and was put in jail for 3 months. So Nile was left with no parents, for a while. Before he was sent to jail Nile's father gave her one of his dolls, and told her that if she ever got scared, the doll could stand in for him while he was gone. He told her he would see her soon. He never saw his Nile again. About this time, the SandWing Royal animus, Sahara, began petitioning the queen to let her do expiriments on dragons so as to make the SandWings the strongest tribe in Pyrrhia. The queen refused, so Sahara got sneaky. She went out in disguise, looking for the perfect dragon. In the marketplace, she found a dragonet clutching a wooden doll, and watching the hullabaloo with eyes far to shrewd for one of her young age. Recognizing herself in the dragonet, Sahara struck up a conversation. Upon learning that the dragonet had no parents, nor, indeed, any dragon waiting for her to return home, Sahara decided that this was the dragonet she would use. Subsequently, Sahara returned to the marketplace, always meeting the dragonet in the same place, and eventually convincing her to come to the palace with Sahara, as a young dragonet on her own would attract "all sorts of danger", and the palace could help her. Once there, Sahara imprisoned the young dragonet in a special cage that only she could find or open. And so Nile was taken from the streets, and placed into much greater danger. Nile's new home was not unpleasant for her. Her "creator", as Sahara had instructed Nile to call her, came often, and they would play, or Sahara would teach her things, or tell her stories of a wonderful world, where all SandWings were not just themselves, but better versions of themselves, and ruled over all the other tribes. Now, Nile was not stupid. She understood that she was not to leave the cage, and that she was not going to be able to see her father or mother for a while. However, she was young and gullible, and believed that Sahara was good, and would bring about the peaceful utopia she so often spoke of. In the meanwhile, Nile had a nice place, good food, and the doll her father had given her. Nile was very attached to that doll, and never let it out of her sight- something Sahara did not miss. Now, Sahara was not one for uniformity. She believed that what made dragons unique were their greatest strengths. So, noticing how Nile often talked to her toy as if it were alive, she gave the toy "life" (the ability to move and talk, but not think), and gifted Nile with the ability to control Button. However, two very important things happened that threw this entire system into chaos: 1) Nile's father had not forgotten about her. When he got out of jail, he went looking for her, and, when he couldn't find her, petitioned every dragon he knew to help find her, put up posters, and made such a commotion that he eventually got his case before a (very bored) Queen, and Sahara. Even though the queen refused Nile's father help, Sahara realized that she could not present her creation the world as Nile, because they would immediately recognize her, and realize the truth about what Sahara had done to obtain her. So Sahara changed Nile. She made the dragonet black, so she would not appear as a SandWing, and, at Nile's request, changed her face to match that of her favorite toy. Additionally, Nile's name was changed, and they decided on an old word for "doll" or "puppet"- Marionette. For just as Button was Marionette's puppet, so was Marionette the puppet of Sahara, even if she didn't realize it. And so, the Nile that had been died, and Marionette took her place. 2) this abundance of magical spells had pushed Sahara, slowly, surely, closer to madness. She decided that if the queen could not see how good her work could be for the SandWings, Sahara must become queen, and lead the SandWings into a new era of peace and prosperity. She gave Marionette more dolls, all bonded to her, and told Marionette to learn to fight with them, which Marionette did without question, only a "yes, mother" (Nile's mother was in jail, so Sahara had stepped in as Marionette's loving mother) So, time had gone by. It has been nearly a year and a half since that fateful day when Nile entered the palace. She had not seen daylight since. Sahara decided that, in her bountiful mercy, she would allow the queen another chance into her brave new world, if only the queen would sanction her experiments. So, she brought Marionette out of her cage, and before the queen, demonstrating what Marionette could do. The queen was appalled that such things would be done to a mere dragonet, and was about to banish both Sahara and Marionette, when Nile's father, who was once again at the palace for help in finding his daughter, recognized the toy being controled as the doll given to his dragonet, all those moons ago. He burst out with what he had learned, and threw himself to the floor at Marionette's talons, weeping with joy to find his Nile again. All she had to say was "my name is Marionette, and I have no father. ...Sorry." This shocked everyone in the room (save Sahara) into a moment of utter silence, before the queen declared that for her crimes, Sahara would not be banished, but executed. Sahara, who felt that he queen had been given enough chances, called for an attack, and Marionette obliged, sending her dolls out of the shadows to take the throne by force. The first dragon to die was the queen. The second was Nile's father, who did not run when he should have, convinced that his daughter would not hurt him. The terrifying puppets swarmed the castle, and it did not seem that they could be stopped. However, one brave guard managed to sneak up to the highest tower, where Sahara was perched, laughing with all the glee of a mad dragon. Marionette, flying above, looked down to see her mother happy, for a split second before the spear went into her back and through her heart, killing her instantly. Marionette, overcome with grief, sent her father's puppet itself down to tear the guard to shreds. It is said that if you go up to that particular tower at sunset on the right day of the year, you can still hear the guards screams as the tower washes red with sunlight, mimicking the bath of blood from so long ago. After that day, Marionette fled, abandoning all of her puppets but her original, as a reminder of who she had been, and the first doll Sahara had given her, as a reminder of who she was. Note: This tale was only recently unearthed in a collection of scrolls found in some ruins out in the middle of the desert, spotted by passing dragons. At the doorway to the chamber, like an ever watchful sentinel, was a small wooden dragon. (Special thanks to EclipseTheAnimusNightwing for use of her character and artwork) Technical Earthbenders ---- Earthbenders are defined above as any dragon who has had an animus spell placed directly upon them, usually in pursuit of the "prefect" dragon. However, because of Darkstalker, there are dragons who are technically Earthbenders, though they are not "true" Earthbenders. They include, but are not limited to: *Prince Arctic *Vulture *Fierceteeth *the NightWings Darkstalker gave powers to Category:Browse Category:Fanfics